Winchester Pilgrimage
VIII

July 13-15, 2018

Winchester, England

Come
all ye pilgrims and travelers, and join the Shire of West Dragoningshire for a
pilgrimage at the Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty. Share
with us in an evening of Chaucer; a morning pilgrimage to Winchester Cathedral,
an afternoon demonstration of our fighting skills, and an evening of feasting
and storytelling.

The Event

On Friday evening, we will sit in the Hundred
Men's Hall and regale each other with tales of pilgrims past, courtesy of one
Geoffrey Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales.

On Saturday morning, we will take the
opportunity to brush up on our saints and sinners, sins and virtues, and other
such things as would have been known to pilgrims of yore. Pay close attention,
because your knowledge may be tested on your journey.

For those who feel less confident in their
knowledge of saints and sinners, virtues and sins and such-like, a study guide
is available here (TBA).

During the morning, small groups of pilgrims
will depart, through the meadows and woods of Winchester, to the cathedral.
This is a journey of a little over a mile, through exceedingly pleasant
countryside and the more historical parts of the town. En route, there may be
opportunities to demonstrate your knowledge of those things a pilgrim should
know. Once you have reached the cathedral, you are free to explore the rest of
the city, or make a leisurely return to the hospital for lunch.

After lunch, there will be demonstrations of our
fighting prowess on the main green in the hospital.

In the evening, we will have a pilgrim's feast
in the Tudor Brethren's Hall, and such storytelling and merriment as may then
result.

On Sunday morning, the church of St Faith & St
Cross would welcome all who wish to join them, in garb, at their morning
service.

Note: The activities of Friday and
Saturday evenings will be private to ourselves, though the resident brothers may
join us for the Chaucer reading. During the day on Saturday, the site is open to
the public. The fighting demonstration in the afternoon will be a public
display, which has been very warmly received in previous years. Our hosts are
keen that we should show that we do more than fighting, so those skilled in the
arts and sciences are especially invited to show their activities and works
(though not in formal demonstrations).

Since we will be on display during Saturday, I
would ask all attendees to take extra care to conceal mundane items (bottles and
cans, picnic boxes and such like). There will be plenty of storage space for
armour bags, mundane equipment etc. For the fighting demonstrations, we would
ask that fighters take additional care to disguise modern facets - e.g. plastic
armour, skate-board knee-pads etc.

Location

Some years ago, at, I think, the 2nd
Pilgrimage event, we were setting up for feast in the Tudor Brethren's Hall
(see picture). There was a stone table at one end, which seemed an ideal
location for the barrel of beer and bread for feast. One of the Brothers
wandered in to see how we were doing.

He looked at our set up and said "Oh,
you're using the table. Did you know what was a gift to the hospital from
King Stephen?"

Our jaws dropped. "Erm, no, we didn't.
Sorry."

"Oh no, it's fine. It's good to see it
still being used."

Suddenly, the history of the place we
were using became a lot more real...

The Hospital of St
Cross was founded in the 12th century and is one of the most beautiful
period sites that we have used. Nestled in the water meadows alongside
the River Itchen, in the shadow of St Catherine's Hill and only 20 minutes walk
from the centre of Winchester, lies the medieval buildings of the Hospital of St
Cross & Almshouse of Noble Poverty. These medieval buildings are the setting for
the Winchester Pilgrimage as we make our pilgrimage along the water meadows to
Winchester Cathedral testing our knowledge of medieval saints, symbols, and
other aspects of medieval Christianity before ending the day with magnificent
tournaments and a pilgrim's meal. Take a step back in history as you wander
around the buildings that have provided food and shelter for hundreds of years
and learn about various aspects of making a medieval pilgrimage. Rest for a
while in the unique and peaceful Master's Garden or visit the 12th century
church (where you may find 400 year old graffiti) . During the pilgrimage you
may meet one of the resident Brothers, in his black or red gown and trencher
hat, on his way to Matins or a meal - traditions that go back hundreds of years.

This is a camping only event. Those with period pavilions are welcome to erect them on the green in the
centre, and those with mundane tents camp in the adjacent gardens. We will
try to provide a pavilion for those who cannot bring tents of their own. Please be aware that the almshouse is the home of some 24 Brothers plus staff.
Please respect the privacy of the brothers and try to keep noise down after
10pm. Winchester is a popular tourist town with many hotels and B&Bs nearby if
you desire offsite accommodations. There is some limited crash space within the
buildings.

A Pilgrim’s feast will be provided on Saturday
evening, as will breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Due to low uptake
in previous years, we will not provide traveler's fare on Friday or lunch on
Saturday. There is a pub that serves meals, and a very good chip shop
(huge portions) just a couple of minutes walk from the site, and there are
numerous restaurants, pubs etc in Winchester itself.

Our hosts would also like to see merchants with
wares to sell, both to our members and to the public. Please spread the word to
your merchant friends.

Reservations

Reservations can be made by
sending your requirements to Mistress Ariel, stating your reservation type (see
below), and whether you will be camping in a period tent, camping in a mundane
tent, crashing in the hall or staying offsite. Please also indicate any dietary
restrictions/allergies. Those in the UK must send payment (payable to SCA West
Dragonshire) in advance unless otherwise agreed with the stewards. Those
attending from outside the Sterling zone may pay at the door, but please supply
travel information to confirm your reservation.